3rd Challenge Winner + 4th Challenge Announced: Lady in Red

The winner of the 3rd Challenge is...

Sue from I Love to Sew!

Congratulations Sue! You have won three free patterns from Fabric Mart Sewing Pattern Collection!

Unfortunately, someone has to go home. We're sorry to see Sarah from Musings of a Seamstress leave the challenge. As always, great job to each and every one of the participants. This entire challenge is truly a challenge to add into your everyday life!

Winner from the Flickr Page: Kitty from Denver Sews is the winner of a free pattern from the Fabric Mart Sewing Pattern Collection. This was a randomly selected drawing. Please email me
(fabricmartblog{@}gmail.com) to claim your prize.

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There are a number of challenges in the sewing community that have sewers create their signature little black dress. We did the Little Black Dress Challenge in last year's Fashion Challenge. I've seen the White Dress Challenge on Pattern Review, among many other similar challenges in the online sewing community. I wanted to do a challenge where we focus on one color and when I thought about red, the first thing that came to mind was the song, "Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh.

I have heard the song many times, but never knew who it was written about or why. After doing some research, I found out it was inspired by a time he saw his wife from across the room in a nightclub. He didn't realize it was her and later on realized that so many times people never appreciate that the most important person in their lives is taken for granted. You also fail to notice what attracted to you to them in the first place.

In this challenge, I would like you to create the perfect red dress. It can be any version of red - burgundy red, bright red, red-orange, etc, just as long as it is red! If you need to send me a photo for confirmation, you can definitely do that.

I would also like you to create a story for us. Are you going out with your husband on a romantic date or a fun night out with the girls? Where will you be going? What will you be doing? Your dress should be able to tell your story.

We will be judging on a 1-10 scale (10 being the highest) using the following criteria:

Fit - Does the dress fit well? No unnecessary pulling in problem areas? Is it flattering to your figure?

Creativity - Does the dress have something interesting about it that sets it apart from your everyday dress? Also, did you come up with an interesting story to go along with this dress?

Craftsmanship - Did you put a lot of care into the construction? Top-stitching straight, careful overall construction, etc.

Presentation - While we totally understand not everyone has a professional camera and the perfect backdrop for photographing their creations, (Me included!!) you are in front of a world of other sewers! Make yourself look presentable. Submit a photo of the front, back and side view of the garment, as well as a "presentation photo" (this should be the best photo!) Detail photos are also requested so we can be better judges. So if you do some embellishing or a specific technique, zoom in and share with us! (Not all photos may be used in the final blog post, but shared with the judges.)

Guest Judge will be Laura Nash from Sew Chic Patterns. I interviewed her earlier in the summer during the In the Studio series. Read her interview here.

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Entries are due by Tuesday, September 30rd, with viewer judging on Wednesday, October 1st-Thursday, October 2nd. The winner will be announced Friday, October 3 and a new challenge will begin!

PRIZES!!
The winner of this challenge will receive a Sewing Room Assortment pack which will include thread, a square ruler, grosgrain ribbon, scissors, and MORE! You will also receive a free 10 yard Mystery Bundle packed with beautiful fabrics from our website.

Reader Participation!

Don't forget!! If you are watching from the sidelines, you can participate in the challenge too! Head on over to our Flickr page and upload your finished red dress! Follow the same rules as the Challenge participants. Upload a photo of your finished garment by Wednesday, October 1st (made during the challenge please, no previously made items!) We will have a random drawing for the Flickr winner! They will win one free pattern of their choice from the Fabric Mart Pattern collection. (All prizes are sent to winner at the end of the challenge.)

Ready, set, go!!

Made By A Fabricista: Sheer Elegance and Everyday Comfort with my Two New Tops

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with my last Fabricista make for 2025. While many sew a special holiday outfit at year’s end, I went in another direction sewing two tops that couldn’t be more different. One is sheer and elegant while the other is easy comfort for everyday wear. These tops reflect how I dress at this stage of life. As an over-50 sewist, these two tops reflect how I dress at this point in my life. Sometimes I want something a bit special, other times more basic. Either way, sewing them in beautiful fabrics, custom fit to my body, makes all the difference in how I feel when I wear them. Even though I’m quite pleased with my two tops, my original plan was to sew a jacket with the tropical print stretch twill and pair it with a top sewn from the soutache mesh knit . Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough to get enough of the stretch twill to make a jacket, so a top it was! You do know you have to act fast when you see something you love on Fabric ...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing for a Florida Cold Snap with Fabric Mart Fabrics

Even here in Florida, we get the occasional cold weather surprise, and when temperatures dipped recently, I was very glad to have the perfect handmade outfit ready to go. For this month’s Fabricista make, I sewed up New Look pattern 6771, using two beautiful fabrics sent to me by Fabric Mart Fabrics. The Fabric & Pattern Choice New Look 6771 is a cozy two-piece set featuring a relaxed-fit top and pull-on pants—exactly the kind of pattern that works well for transitional weather. I chose to start with the top, using a brown animal print French terry from Fabric Mart, and it turned out to be an absolute dream to work with. The French terry was soft, substantial without being heavy, and handled beautifully at the machine . It had just the right amount of structure to highlight the pattern’s design details while still feeling comfortable and wearable. From cutting to pressing, this fabric behaved perfectly and elevated the final garment. The Top: A Total Win The top from New Look 677...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Coziest Pajama Set

For most of my life, I happily wore mismatched pajamas. Not caring what my pajamas looked like, just delighting in anything clean and comfortable. My sister also had the same mentality about pajamas until one day it all changed. She came over for a fun sister hangout weekend and pulled out a set of matching pajamas! I nearly dropped over with shock! Growing up, she was the queen of mismatched pajamas. She was notorious for wearing faded t-shirts and pajama shorts long after their life expectancy. But there she was in a set of sophisticated matching pajamas with white piping, raving about how wonderful they were. If the queen of mismatched pajamas could appreciate a fine pair of matching pajamas, everyone could. Shortly after that, I decided to give matching pajamas a try, and I became hooked as well. There is a peace and order that comes with having a matching pajama set. You always know which pajama top goes with which bottoms. You can reach for them quickly in the closet a...

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